Grim Reaper
thumb|290px|right|The Shinigami library. Shinigami (死神; Death Gods) are neutral, supernatural beings who review lists of individuals about to die. They decide who should continue to live or not based on their history. Overview Shinigami review souls based on lists given to them by other departments. It is understood that these lists are given out well before the intended individuals actually die, hinting at some ability to foresee the future.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 26, page 30 It is their duty to review areas where people are dying and review their lives, which they have a variety of information on, including the person's name, mother, cause of death, and any further notes.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 35, page 11 Shinigami seem to be allocated to various locations based on an unseen, but frequently referenced, Personnel Department. In order to review an individual's life, Shinigami view a cinematic record. A cinematic record occurs when a Shinigami cuts an individual with his or her Death Scythe, allowing the Shinigami to see a recollection of the person's memories. This is used to decide if the person should be allowed to pass or to continue to live. They seem to make this decision by putting a stamp that says "complete" on the dying individual's file.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 35, page 13 In the anime, they use magic plays instead, which show a person's entire life in book form, and can be played like a movie.Kuroshitsuji anime, Episode 17 When not in use, these are stored in the form of books in the library. It is their duty to remain neutral and emotionless, only intending to judge and collect souls.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 35, page 16 They are not permitted to kill people not on these death lists, which are also called soul collection lists.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 12, page 21 It is understood that most dying humans reviewed are allowed to die, unless their existence is "beneficial to the world," which rarely happens. Shinigami seem to prefer to on the side of letting someone die, rather than permitting them to continue to live.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 35, page 16 When they finish a mission, Shinigami have to fill out a reflection letter and report, which is sent to the Main Branch.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 12, page 22 Those who break the rules while on a mission undergo a punishment, although what that entails is unknown,Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 26, page 27 but Grell has implied that it at least involves a potential demotion and possible confiscation of the individual's Death Scythe.Kuroshitsuji anime, Episode 11 Shinigami seem to work either alone or in pairs, and they each have a Death Scythe, a weapon that can cut through anything including any other Shinigami and one's self,Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 12, page 15 and seems to serve a dual-purpose of reviewing and collecting souls. Grell states that a slash from the Death Scythe severs the link between a human's memory and his or her soul, and it is how they officially end an individual's life.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 10, page 11 Each Shinigami's Death Scythe seems to be unique to each individual. For example, Grell's resembles a chainsaw while Ronald's resembles a lawnmower. However, the Death Scythes can be modified, so long as the proper papers are filed with the also unseen General Affairs Department.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 35, page 18 It is against the rules to modify or even use a Death Scythe without permission.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 12, page 21 Interestingly, despite being so tough that only a Death Scythe can kill a Shinigami, they are not immune to human ailments such as hunger and exhaustion. However, they are able to sleep without breathing.Kuroshitsuji anime, Episode 17 Shinigami also seem to have a long-standing hatred of demons, which is illustrated through William Spears' interactions with Sebastian Michaelis.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 26, page 27-30 Grell sums this up by saying, "If the job of a Shinigami is to recover the souls of the dead, then demons can be likened to pests that snatch these souls away just for the sake of devouring them."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 11, page 26 Sebastian, on the other hand, calls their use of the cinematic record "just a terrible interest" and the worst sort of spying activity.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 10, page 11 However, this is lessened in the anime, as the Shinigami actively assist Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian multiple times. Abilities Shinigami have a variety of abilities including: *'Enhanced speed and power': Shinigami have been shown to have power comparable to demons, able to fight and defend against attacks that would easily crush a human. *'Enhanced endurance': Shinigami are also known to be extremely tough, able to endure numerous assaults that would beat a human to death,Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 12, page 14 making the Death Scythe the only currently known object that can kill a Shinigami. *'Soul collection': By using their Death Scythes, Shinigami collect souls, which when done, officially ends an individual's life. The speed and efficiency with which this happens depends on the individual Shinigami's Death Scythe. *'Cinematic record': When cut with a Death Scythe, a brief movie plays, revealing information about the individual and his or her life. This is used to decide if the person should die or continue living. Sometimes, this is also called as the "Magic Play". *'Animal communication': William has passed on information through birds to communicate with Shinigami elsewhere.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 30, page 27 *'Rewriting present': Those of management level can use two items to rewrite part of someone's magic play as it is going on. By using the Death Bookmark, they can stop the story from continuing to write. By using a special pen, they can write in the next few lines, but cannot radically alter events.Kuroshitsuji anime, Episode 18 Known Shinigami *Grell Sutcliff *William T. Spears *Ronald Knox *Undertaker (retired in the anime, quit in the manga) *Eric Slingby *Alan Humphries *Lawrence Anderson (OVA 6) Known Divisions and Departments *Main Branch *General Affairs Department *Personnel Department *Dispatch Management Division *London Division *Grim Reaper Staffing Association *Human Resources Department Known Rules *Using one's Death Scythe without permission is forbidden. *Modifying one's Death Scythe without following proper procedures is forbidden. *Killing people not on the death or soul collection list is forbidden. *Shinigami must never remove their glasses. *Shinigami must take care of their Death Scythes. *Sundry expenses must be settled at the end of the month. *Giving any information about the deceased concerning their death (their murderer, circumstances cause of death etc.) to humans is forbidden. Trivia *They are also known as the Shinigami Dispatch Society. *In the second musical it is stated that all Shinigami are required to wear glasses as a part of their uniforms. It is later revealed that if a Shinigami removes his glasses, it signifies his resignation. This is shown by Eric Slingby and Alan Humphries, who both took off their glasses and resigned as Shinigami. *In Kuroshitsuji II, William reveals that glasses are very important to a Shinigami. It is revealed by Undertaker that all Shinigami are severely nearsighted and one of the rules of being a Shinigami is to never remove your glasses. *In the anime, all basic Death Scythes are shown to be like William Spears's. *All of the Death Scythes shown in the manga are based off of gardening tools, even some that should not exist in that time period such as a chainsaw or a gas powered lawn mower. *In Kuroshitsuji, Shinigami's eyes have black pupils and mossy green irises. In Kuroshitsuji II, their eyes have dark green pupils and yellow-green irises. *There are no known female Shinigami throughout the series, but Ronald occasionally mentions female staff members. *In "The Tale of Will the Shinigami" (OVA), you can see a glimpse of Ronald's female friend in the General Affairs Department. *Alan Humphries has a cameo appearance in "The Tale of Will the Shinigami" and man beside him is Eric Slingby with brown hair along with their Death Scythes. *Throughout the series, the Shinigami say "There is nothing a Death Scythe can't cut." However, this is proven false in the anime when Grell's replacement death scythe, the pair of scissors, can't cut through the steel dolls made by Drossel..''Kuroshitsuji" anime, Episode 11 References Navigation Category:Races Category:Shinigami